Bushy Park (New Zealand) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bushy Park Forest Reserve
Cabbage tree in Bushy Park
Location	791 Rangitatau East Road, Manawatū-Whanganui region, North Island, New Zealand
Nearest city	Whanganui
Area	100 hectares (250 acres)
Established	1962
Governing body	Bushy Park Homestead and Forest Trust

Bushy Park is a special forest on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. You can find it near Whanganui, in the Manawatū-Whanganui region. It's a unique place with an old Edwardian-style house, a safe home for native birds, and a natural rainforest.

The park is about 100 hectares big. That's like 250 football fields! It's a rare piece of lowland rainforest. This means it's a forest that grows in lower areas, with special trees like rātā and pukatea. The Forest & Bird society thinks Bushy Park is one of the top 25 nature recovery projects in Australia and New Zealand.

Discovering Bushy Park's Past

The grand house at Bushy Park is called the Bushy Park Homestead. It was built in 1906 and has 22 rooms. Imagine a hallway that's 33 meters long and almost 2 meters wide! The house also has beautiful wood panels and fancy lights.

A man named G. Frank Moore, who bred cattle and racehorses, had the house built. In 1962, he gave the house and the park to the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand. This group works to protect New Zealand's nature.

Since 1994, the Bushy Park Homestead and Forest Trust has looked after the park. They hold a special event called the Bushy Park Festival every year. This festival helps raise money to keep the park amazing.

Making the Park a Safe Haven

From 2004 to 2005, a special fence was built around the park. This fence is about 4.8 kilometers long. It helps keep out animals that might harm the native birds, like possums and rats. After the fence was built, steps were taken to remove these pests from inside the park.

In 2005, Bushy Park opened a special place for kiwi chicks. It's like a nursery for baby kiwis! The first kiwi chick to arrive there was a female from the Waimarino Forest. This helps protect these rare New Zealand birds.

Exploring Bushy Park's Nature

Bushy Park has many paths where you can walk and explore the forest. You'll see different kinds of trees, like mahoe, mamaku, pukatea, rātā, and rimu. There are also lots of ferns and mosses growing there.

Meet Ratanui, the Giant Tree

One of the most amazing things in the park is a huge Northern rātā tree called Ratanui. Its name means "Big Rata"! This tree is very old, probably between 500 and 1000 years old. It stands 43 meters tall, which is like a 14-story building! Its trunk is also very wide, more than 11 meters around. Sadly, possums have caused a lot of damage to this ancient tree over time.

Animals of Bushy Park

Bushy Park is home to many native New Zealand birds. You might spot bellbirds, kereru (New Zealand pigeons), North Island robins, North Island saddlebacks, and tui. Other birds you could see include falcons, fantails, grey warblers, and silvereyes. You might also see mallard ducks, pukekos, and white-faced herons.

Besides birds, the park also has interesting insects. Look out for Giraffe weevils, glowworms (which glow in the dark!), and huhu beetles.